"They say that a lucky Uma Musume might receive a weapon bestowed by the legendary goddesses as part of her Winning Live Costume, and wear it in races and on the winner's stage."
Platinum listened with great interest and nodded calmly to show she understood.
So the Three Goddesses might get excited and drop some loot and equipment?
After learning all that, the Pegasus girl followed Tokai Teio and finally stopped in front of a shop.
But the moment she stepped inside, the anticipation and smile on Platinum's face suddenly froze.
W-wait, I still don't have my wallet after transforming, just like always! Winning Live Costumes must be expensive. Surely I can't...
Ugh... work here as a receptionist to earn my Winning Live Costume?
51. Platinum's Winning Live Costume! Is It Really Reasonable to Bring a Bow and Arrow?!
What should she do? She hadn't brought her wallet.
Platinum knew full well that since a Winning Live Costume wasn't just an ordinary outfit she could buy off the rack... it was bound to cost a fortune!
Without her wallet, there was no way she could work as a receptionist to pay off the debt, right?
A tribute to the legendary overworked employee Xiangzi?
She didn't want that!
Miss Heavenly Horse reached out without hesitation and called to Tokai Teio and Mejiro Dober, who had just entered the shop.
"Sorry, I forgot my wallet."
"Could someone lend me some money? I'll pay you back later."
To avoid ending up as a receptionist, and because she didn't feel like going all the way back for her wallet, she could only ask these rich little fillies.
Tokai Teio and Mejiro McQueen were older-horse veterans. The prize money they'd won was far greater than hers.
Even Mejiro Dober, who had just lost at the Oaks, had earned a hefty sum for coming in second. And she'd entered far more races than Platinum, so it all added up to quite a lot.
In short, all three of them were rich fillies with the means to become her benefactors!
"Eh, you didn't bring your wallet?"
Mejiro McQueen turned around after finishing her dessert, licking her lips with some reluctance. She looked a little surprised.
Meanwhile, the warmhearted little senior Tokai Teio cheerfully nodded without hesitation.
"Sure."
"Great!"
The cool, composed Mejiro Dober spoke at the same time as Tokai Teio and immediately agreed to help as well.
Compared to Tokai Teio, who had agreed right away, Mejiro Dober's offer came as a greater surprise to Platinum.
Huh? She... doesn't hold a grudge after all?
She'd been ready for Mejiro Dober, after losing the race, to hold a serious grudge against her or even treat her like an enemy.
But beneath Mejiro Dober's cool, delicate features, her heart seemed to burn with warmth.
The petite Platinum couldn't help but marvel to herself.
How wonderful. These innocent little fillies make me feel like my soul's being cleansed.
"Then... Dober, could I trouble you?"
"Thank you!"
Miss Heavenly Horse didn't hesitate and chose Mejiro Dober.
The icy beauty and rich little filly directly took her wallet from her pocket and handed Platinum her bank card.
This cool-on-the-outside, warm-on-the-inside girl, who might face her again and again on the track, had finally made a real impression on Platinum.
This time... she'd truly made a deeper impression.
Then they stepped into the shop.
"Let's have a look around."
"Platinum, you can tell them what you like and have something custom-made, but there isn't much time..."
"So we'll have to pick something ready-made and have it quickly tailored to fit you."
Tokai Teio pointed to the many different women's outfits hanging inside the shop, which was decorated in a classical style.
A custom order would take time, and the Japanese Derby was only a few days away. There simply wasn't enough time.
So the only option was to choose something ready-made.
For an Uma Musume with an explosive figure like Daiwa Scarlet, finding something ready-made on short notice would be troublesome.
But Platinum was different. Her nearly flat figure could give Mejiro McQueen's a run for its money, making it hard to tell them apart.
So picking something ready-made would be a very easy choice for her.
"Hmm..."
Platinum tilted her head back and looked around. Not wanting to make a fuss, she simply pointed to a white Winning Live Costume that resembled the style she was wearing, right in front of the nearby craftsman.
It had a simple, clean white design and looked far more comfortable than most Uma Musume Winning Live Costumes.
Winning Live Costumes were expensive, but they were extremely light and comfortable to wear during races and performances, without having the slightest impact on a race.
No wonder so many Uma Musume had such elaborate outfits. It made sense... they probably felt they'd be losing out if their costumes weren't flashy.
But Platinum was different. As an assassin, she didn't care about attracting attention.
She didn't take it down to try on at her leisure or ask Mejiro McQueen and Mejiro Dober for their opinions. She made her choice right away.
Whatever she did, Platinum hated fuss and just wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible!
Miss Heavenly Horse just wanted to get the costume and finish the final step: "certification by the Three Goddesses"!
Some time later.
Holding the white outfit, Platinum followed the craftsman into another room deeper inside the shop.
Tokai Teio, their guide, didn't forget to explain the final step.
"This last part is quick. Usually, you just pay your respects in front of the statues of the Three Goddesses, and then they bless your outfit and turn it into a Winning Live Costume."
"There's a very low chance that its appearance will change. Some say it's the goddesses adjusting the outfit to better suit the lucky Uma Musume."
"And there's an even lower chance that a weapon will be bestowed as part of the Winning Live Costume! The odds are so low they could hardly be lower. According to the historical records kept by URA, there might not even be one Japanese Uma Musume who receives a weapon in a given year."
"Normally, it's very quick. You just get it certified."
Hearing this, Platinum nodded slightly to show she understood.
Getting a blessing from the Three Goddesses meant she'd succeeded!
Her gacha luck had always been bad, so she wasn't getting her hopes up.
The coolheaded assassin walked over to the statue in the other room and took out the outfit, placing it on the table.
Then, following the craftsman's instructions, Platinum began the ritual.
A while later!
After the ritual was completely finished, Platinum straightened her slender waist.
The pristine white outfit on the table before her suddenly began to shine with colorful light, so dazzling that people instinctively closed their eyes.
The previously calm craftsman's expression changed. It seemed that even he rarely saw a sight like this.
The colorful light was so bright that even physically gifted Uma Musume like Tokai Teio and Mejiro Dober couldn't keep their eyes open. Yet it had no effect on Platinum at all.
Miss Heavenly Horse looked through the light at the clothes on the table. Her eyes didn't waver as she took in the outfit...
Then, her pupils suddenly shrank, and she let out a rare cry of surprise.
"Eh?"
"A bow?!"
That bow looked like the one she'd been carrying when she first transformed. It had clearly been shoved under her bed and never taken out!
W-why was it here?
The Three Goddesses... hadn't just blessed her. They'd even brought over the bow she'd been carrying when she transformed, granting her permission to wear it?
And there was more than just a bow on the table. The white outfit had also changed considerably. It now combined features of Platinum's original and swimsuit appearances from the game, and even included a pair of white thigh-high stockings.
The white Winning Live Costume had a pure, ethereal quality to it. Its hem had split into several broad panels that resembled a cape!
The Winning Live Costume had undergone a major transformation, and the bow had been blessed too?
"There's even... a quiver?"
From the bow to the quiver! They all counted as part of her Winning Live Costume?
Platinum had never heard of an Uma Musume carrying a medium-sized weapon like this into a race. She was probably... the first, wasn't she?
After standing there dazed for quite a while, Miss Platinum couldn't help praising the Three Goddesses.
"Magnificent! No further words are needed!!!"
Platinum, the Grand Seat of the Mugyuu Alliance, was about to wear a bow and quiver and step onto the highest stage of the Japanese Derby!
Get ready, little fillies!!
52. Platinum Will Stand Above the Heavens! What Reward Is Lin Anran Missing?
"Eh? Eh?"
"W-what is this?!"
"Good grief..."
From Tokai Teio to Mejiro McQueen and Mejiro Dober!
Their expressions were rarely so perfectly alike: utter shock and disbelief, as if they'd witnessed something unprecedented.
The top active middle-distance Uma Musume in Japan, the strongest Long-Distance King, and the young lady from a prestigious family... every one of them was well-traveled and knowledgeable.
But now!
When they managed to open their eyes and saw the white Winning Live Costume, the white stockings, the bow and arrow, and the quiver!
Everything they'd learned, every bit of common knowledge they'd held, had been shattered in an instant!!
Normally, even a small change to a Winning Live Costume was rare enough to make someone the envy of others, wasn't it?
But not only had the white outfit Platinum had picked at random changed considerably, there was also a thigh-high white stocking beside it?
And on top of that, what was with the whole bow and arrow, and the quiver?
What was more...
The craftsman, who had specialized in making Winning Live Costumes, reacted far more intensely than the young Uma Musume.
There were more than twenty grass GI Races in Japan alone. And that didn't even include the dirt races, which weren't as highly regarded but still counted as GI Races.
Dozens of GI Races in total were held every year. Hundreds of Uma Musume had Winning Live Costumes made each year, yet it was rare for even one of them to receive a weapon as a blessing.
"I've been in this profession for decades and handled more than a thousand Winning Live Costumes, but this is the first time... I've seen a weapon appear at the same time as a costume transformation!"
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